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Son of Beast
Son of Beast is a former wooden coaster that was located in the Action Zone section of Kings Island. It operated where ''Banshee'' stands today, and was a "sequel" to fellow wooden coaster ''The Beast''. Son of Beast opened on May 26, 2000 as the tallest, fastest, and only looping wooden coaster in the world, in addition to being the first and only wooden hypercoaster in the park. Plagued with multiple issues and disliked by many for its rough nature, Son of Beast is also notorious for two significant accidents in its lifetime, with the first one in 2006 resulting in new ride cars and the removal of its signature loop. The second accident occurred in 2009, and although no issues were found with the ride, it closed and remained standing, but not operating until 2012, when it was decided that the coaster would be demolished at the end of the 2012 season. It was replaced by Banshee, which opened in 2014. History Construction of Son of Beast was announced on May 11, 1999, nearly a month after the 20th birthday of The Beast. An animatronic crate that was present at the announcement was later placed in at the end of International Street, near the giant garden clock. The crate featured a sign detailing the coaster's statistics, and it would occasionally shake, with growling sounds being heard from it, as if something was inside, trying to escape. Son of Beast ''opened on May 26, 2000, despite some notable issues with the support structures that delayed the opening. The entrance notably featured the same crate seen at International Street, but it now featured a massive hole in it, with the ride's logo inside, indicating that the creature had escaped and is on the loose. On July 9, 2006, a structure failure caused one of the ride car trains to come to a sudden stop. This event injured 27 people, with nineteen requiring hospital treatment, though no one was killed or succumbed to their injuries. The ride remained closed for the remainder of the 2006 season, where it would receive lighter ride cars and the removal of its signature loop in order to accommodate the lighter cars. The ride reopened on the Fourth of July the following year, nearly a complete year after the accident, still retaining its record as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster even without its loop. On June 16, 2009, a woman claimed to have burst a blood vessel in her brain as a result of the ride during her visit to the park on May 31 of that same year. This claim was notably suspicious for multiple reasons, the first being the fact that such an incident was reported several days afterwards, and the second being that no such injury was reported to the park's first-aid stations. Furthermore, this was the only incident reported for the ride, and despite an investigation that found no problems with the ride, it remained closed for the rest of the 2009 season, and all references to it, including the crate with the logo and its presence on the park map, were removed for the 2010 season, even though the structure remained clearly visible. During the 2012 season, it was decided that ''Son of Beast's closure would be permanent, and that it would be demolished to make way for a new coaster. Demolition of the coaster took place in the fall of 2012, and construction on a new coaster began in 2013. This new coaster would open under the name of Banshee, and its queue line features a notably tall gravestone with a torch on top, honoring the coaster with a plaque of Son of Beast's logo and its years of operation. A pile of shattered wood planks can also be seen in front of the gravestone. The loading station and queue line of Son of Beast still remains, but both now function as the location of the Wolf Pack maze for ''Halloween Haunt''. Theme and Ride Experience Theme Son of Beast took place on a military base known as Outpost 5, where guests were volunteers to check the status of the Son of Beast, who had been captured from Rivertown. But something's gone horribly wrong, and the son has escaped from captivity, leaving the riders in serious danger. Ride Experience As the ride departs from the loading station, it passes under some of the structuring of the ride, where a sign served as a last minute warning for riders to remain in their seats. The cars then travel down a small hill and proceed on a short length of track before approaching the lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, the cars go into a small dip before going down the first hill, only to go up another hill. and turn around after going down the second hill. The ride then goes through its signature loop (later changed to a simple drop in 2007 season, before doing a revolution again, and one more circular turn before returning to the loading station. Trivia * Son of Beast operated with a loop until 2007, after the first accident occurred just a year before. Precautionary measures that were taken to avoid such incidents from occurring again included the removal of the loop, in order to allow the newly implemented lighter ride cars to complete the ride. * While Son of Beast was a hit with some fans of the park, many believed the ride was far too rough, which may have been a major factor that led to its permanent closure. * The replacement ride for Son of Beast after its closure was made permanent in 2012 was Banshee. A tribute to its predecessor is seen in the queue line, which is themed to a cemetery. One gravestone is notably taller and more sophisticated, and features a torch at the top. On this gravestone is a plaque with the logo of Son of Beast, and the years of operation listed as "2000 - 2009". * The loading station and queue line to Son of Beast are still in the park, but they are only used during Halloween Haunt as the façade for the Wolf Pack ''maze. * As of 2019, some of Kings Island's souvenir shops sell collections of patches based on the various logos of the rides, including former ones such as ''Son of Beast. * During Halloween Haunt, the Eiffel Tower can be seen sporting a pair of glowing eyes on the top platform. The eyes look very similar to those featured in Son of Beast's logo. * This is the only ride in Kings Island's history to be manufactured by the now-defunct Roller Coaster Corporation of America. Category:Roller Coasters Category:Wooden Coasters Category:Thrill Rides Category:Action Zone Category:Former Attractions Category:Record Holding Attractions Category:Outdoor Attractions